"Eddie? Eds, please, I need— can you come over? I just… please?"
"Yeah, yeah sure Buck. What's going on?" Eddie replied, clutching his cell phone anxiously as Buck's broken sentences stumbled over one another in a slurred and concerning manner.
"I just…" he trailed off, hesitantly, "I just need some help is all."
"Are you going to be okay until I get there? Should I stay on the line with you?" Eddie asked, worry bleeding into his tone.
"I think I'll be okay. See you when you get here?" He asked.
"For sure. I'll be there soon, Buck."
As he reluctantly hung up, Eddie couldn't help the swell of anxiety that blossomed in his gut. Something was seriously wrong with Buck, and the thought of his best friend hurt or in pain almost made bile climb up Eddie's throat. But he knew he needed to push past his own feelings, and get to his friend as soon as possible. He expertly pushed his feelings down, adopting a facade of cool indifference, knowing that that would be the only way for him to be able to focus on what was important right now.
Luckily, he didn't need to make arrangements for Christopher, as his son wasn't home, so he could up and leave, and he did so, tearing out of his parking spot with reckless fervor. The drive to Buck's appartment passed in an anxious blur, and upon arrival, Eddie could barely recall any details from the trip. But now was not the time to contemplate his apparent autopilot driving and whether or not that was the safest way to be traveling around.
He found himself outside the door, sliding his emergency key into the lock with unnatural ease. He gave himself a second to take a breath and compose himself, adopting the same calm and collected exterior he used on scenes. So what if this particular scene was Buck? His teammate, his friend, hell, his brother. Who was Eddie kidding? This was nothing like an ordinary emergency. He steeled himself, and swung the door open and slipped in, kicking the door closed as he walked in, eye zeroing in on Buck's prostrate form across the floor.
Buck lay on the floor, curled in on himself, arms clutching his sides like he was giving himself a hug, or perhaps attempting to hold himself together. Maybe it was both.
"Buck? What happened? Who did this to you?" Eddie asked, trepidation lacing his voice, as he cautiously approached his injured friend.
Buck did his best to shrug, but ended up just flinching away from Eddie's voice.
"Buck… buddy can you please respond verbally for me?"
"Doesn't matter." He muttered. "He's gone now anyways."
"It does matter. And we'll be talking about this later, but I'll let it slide for right now. Your first aid kit is still in the bathroom, right?"
"Yeah." Buck rasped.
Eddie nodded, and quickly retrieved it. He crouched down next to Buck, setting the box on the floor.
"Can you sit up?"
Buck huffed in a breath, bracing himself for the agonizing pain that was about to shoot through his torso. Cracked ribs were a bitch to deal with, and moving only aggravated them. He found himself with gentle hands bracing his upper arms, carefully assisting him into a sitting position, and he shot Eddie an appreciative glance.
"Holy fuck." Eddie swore, upon the reveal of the full extent of Buck's injuries. The man before him had more bruises than clear skin, blood dripped from a split skin, and he could see the dried tracks from when Buck had been crying. Righteous fury bubbled in Eddie's veins, but he knew he had to contain it, as the last thing Buck needed right now was another angry alpha male in his presence. He'd punch his feelings out later. Right now, his best friend needed him to be there, and to be calm, cool, and collected. So, for the sake of Buck, he schooled his features into a blank mask, and instead focused on beginning to patch up his wounds.
He methodically wiped away blood, disinfecting, applying ointment, and bandaged the cuts on Bucks face. There wasn't much he could do about the split lip, but he determined that he didn't need any stitches, which both men were infinitely grateful for. That would just further complicate the situation, seeing as Eddie couldn't do them there (well, he could, he just preferred not to have to do that to his best friend), and Buck didn't seem like he could be convinced to go to an ER.
"You doing okay?" Eddie asked, as he prodded around fresh blue bruises, checking for fractures.
"Mhm."
"I'm gonna take a look at those ribs now."
"Okay."
Slowly, painfully, they got Buck's long sleeve shirt off, revealing more bruised and battered skin. Splotches of reddish purple formed distinctly fist shaped marks. Eddie pursed his lips, before beginning to check for breaks in his ribs. He quietly apologized whenever Buck flinched or let out a low hiss of pain at his ministrations.
"I think you just fractured them. I'll wrap them. We both know there ain't much we can do about it. You need to rest and ice. Which I trust you will do, right?" Eddie commented, catching Buck's eye, and quirking a knowing eyebrow at his friend. They both knew Buck didn't exactly do well with resting. The man was like a golden retriever, his energy knew no bounds, and he was always on the move.
"Of course." Buck replied, with fake sincerity.
Eddie huffed a laugh. Leave it up to Buck to be joking around at a time like this. Buck cracked a grin, wincing as he exhaled too hard and aggravated his unwrapped ribs.
Once they had got him wrapped up, and bandaged to Eddie's liking, they gently migrated from the floor to Buck's couch. After asking Buck a few standard questions to rule out a concussion, Eddie grabbed a couple bags of ice from the freezer, and instructed Buck to put some on his ribs and to press the other to his black eye.
"So." Eddie started, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, and looked at Buck. "Who did this to you?"
Rage. Blood boiling, muscle tensing, breath stealing rage. He thought he would ignite and burn up from the pure amount of anger he felt. Nothing, absolutely nothing could excuse Howard's behavior.
"I should've just told him the truth." Buck whispered, regretfully.
"No Buck. You made a promise to your sister, your own flesh and blood, who you swore to protect. Yes, H- Chimney was your friend, and like a brother to you, but he should've known, or at the very least understood the turmoil you were going through. You made the decision you thought was right. In my opinion you did the right thing." Eddie told him, with conviction.
"But-"
"He can't just go around assaulting his friends, no matter how angry he was. Nobody has the right to hit you, Buck."
"But I deserved it. I should've been truthful with him. But I wanted Maddie to be okay again. And she will be. I know it. I should've just told him the truth at the start. Not eight days later after he practically lost his mind from worry. No, I definitely deserved this." Buck protested.
"Buck," he said exasperatedly, "nothing you did or ever have done for that matter warrants a punch to the face. I can't believe he was even capable of that. I mean, who would want to hit you?"
"What?" Buck responded with a wry laugh. "So you're telling me you didn't want to punch my lights out that day in the grocery store?"
Eddie winced in recollection. Not exactly his finest moment there.
"Okay, I admit I may have very briefly thought about it, but I'd never actually hurt you. I just kinda wanted to hit something in general. You just happened to be standing right in front of me."
"Oh and there was this one time with Cap, when he had me pushed up against a wall." He cut himself off with another wry laugh. "I thought I was gonna get my ass handed to me. So yeah. I think people do want to hit me, but don't because they're afraid of the repercussions."
"That's a very bleak outlook on life." Eddie replied.
"That's rich coming from you." Buck snarked.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Buckley."
"Ew, since when do you call me Buckley, Diaz?"
Eddie shot him an exasperated look, tinged with fondness. Even after being horrifically beaten by a man that was supposed to be his friend, Buck could still joke around.
"So what's the plan?" Eddie asked, after a few moments of silence.
"What do you mean?" Buck asked.
"You've gotta tell Maddie. Probably should tell Cap and Athena." Eddie pointed out.
"No! I can't do that to Chim. It would ruin him."
"He almost ruined you." Eddie argued.
"Eds."
"Look Buck, the way I see it, Maddie needs to know what her man did to her brother. What if he snaps and hurts her? Wouldn't you want to know that you did everything you could to warn her that that may be a possibility? Especially with everything she went through?"
"…Yeah…" Buck hesitantly responded.
Eddie gently placed a comforting hand on Buck's knee.
"None of this is on you. He chose to react the way he did. He needs to face the repercussions."
"I won't press charges." Buck said, resolutely.
"That's your choice, but I still think Athena should know, just in case."
"I'll think about it."
Eddie got up, and grabbed a beer from the fridge, taking more time than necessary to allow Buck a moment to breathe, and wrap his head around their conversation. Meanwhile Buck sat on the couch, shoulders slumped, bag of ice sitting idly in his lax hand. Buck knew, deep down, that what Chimney had done had irreparably damaged their relationship, and would tear Maddie apart once she found out. His chest felt heavy, and a pit formed in his stomach, as he began to process and grieve the loss of what had been a beautiful friendship.
Eddie returned, nonchalantly sipping his beer, and taking up the seat next to Buck.
"Do you think he's gonna forgive me?" Buck meekly asked, looking everywhere but at Eddie.
"No."
At Buck's absolutely defeated look, Eddie quickly attempted to reassure him with misplaced humor.
"Kidding. I'm kidding… Maybe." He paused, glancing at Buck. "Ice goes on the eye, bud."
"Okay, I got it." Buck replied as he pressed the bag to his face, attempting to hide a wince at the temperature.
Eddie clasped his shoulder reassuringly, and smiled encouragingly at him. At the back of his mind, he knew he'd be spending the evening beating the shit out of his punching bag. But for right now, he would sit with his friend, lending silent support and snarky medical advice.
Tomorrow, they contact Maddie. Tomorrow they take control of the situation. Today they just sit back, and begin to heal.